Starting tonight the Washington Capitals play one of their longest homestands of the season, kicking off with Saturday’s date against the Dallas Stars. The reigning champions want to do much better over these next five games than they did in the first eleven — especially on their half of the ice.

P.D.O.

PDO doesn’t actually stand for anything, which is very frustrating, but it’s a simple idea: your team’s shooting percentage plus your team’s saving percentage. For the Caps that number is exactly one, indicating a team with outcomes (i.e. goal differentials) in accordance with their shot differentials, but there’s more going on below.

Washington is shooting very well: 9.7 percent, 7th highest in the league; but they’re saving poorly: 90.3 percent, 24th best in the league. That’s whacked out. That’s like 2009/2010 Caps numbers. It’s time for Holtby to kick it up a notch (and his skaters to mellow out with the defensive breakdowns).